James Arlet
Name: James Arlet Seeming: Darkling ''' Kith: '''Whisperwisp Court: Autumn ' Freehold: 'Dallas Virtue: Prudence Vice: Gluttony Pronouns: He/him/himself Physical Description Apparent Age: 38 Height: 6'1" Skin: White Hair/Eye Color: Gray/Green Clothing: Suits and ties. Mantle: James is followed by a mantle of cool biting Autumn winds, and the subtle sounds of a murder of crows alighting in his wake, complete with distant bird-caws and the beating of dark winds as they take to the air. Noteworthy Merits: Pinterest: James Arlet Commonly Known James is a polarizing figure in the DFW Changeling community. He runs a small and thriving evangelical church that some local hostile media figures might term nothing more than prosperity cult rubbish, but he doesn't hold their prejudices against them. After all, he is gaining new members every day... even if some of those members come from all over the state and seem somewhat disoriented and confused when their frantic family members track them down to their new home. What is commonly known throughout the Freehold is that James--and a small core of loyal Winter and Autumn courtiers working with him--are kidnapping Fetches throughout the state and using goblin-magics to fling them into Arcadia in exchange for the Changeling they were created to replace. These Changelings are usually profoundly grateful to James for being rescued, but many of them have no memories of their former lives or family, leading to charges from their human relatives that these people have been brainwashed. James is a close friend to the Dallas Winter Queen, Wynne. Autumn 2009: James moves to the Dallas Freehold. Winter 2014: James meets Alessa, and they begin dating. Uncommonly Known James is looking for his son's fetch, Lucas Arlet. Omen When you cast Omen 1 on James Arlet, you receive a vision. You see James. He is younger; his now-graying hair is darker, and there are fewer lines around his eyes and mouth. His beard is darker, too, and less immaculately trimmed and styled. He looks like someone with fewer cares, like someone who has taken much less effort to appear styled to his best and sharpest. He has also clearly been crying, off and on, for several days straight. His eyes are red and raw, and the sorrow etched in his face is plainly tangible but no longer fresh. His is a haunted face, the look of a man who is coming to grips with the knowledge that the sorrow he feels is not going away any time soon. You do not recognize the setting of the vision, but it is clearly a home of some sort, with the look of the suburbs about it. There is an emptiness to the home, quiet and solemn and shattered, yet James is not alone. There is another man here, in one sense the spitting image of James and in another sense nothing like him at all--a man composed of a tangled mess of silken ties and leather belts and soft crumples of thin gold-edged paper, the sort of paper used in Bibles and expensive dictionaries. A fetch. The fetch has been crying too, and the two men sit apart, each facing the other, a coffee table between them as they eye each other like brothers who have suddenly turned adversary. "I still don't understand how you could have let this happen," James says, his voice empty and hollow with grief. "I go away on business for two weeks--not even fourteen days, Lowell--and he just... snapped? You had zero warning?" His emotionless voice turns accusatory at this, hard and bitter. The fetch, Lowell, runs a tired hand over his eyes and looks equally lost in grief. "You think I wouldn't have done something if I'd guessed?" he snaps angrily, but his ire is immediately consumed by the overarching sorrow and guilt hanging in the room. "I mean. No, there wasn't-- But, yes... in retrospect...? I just don't know, James," he pleads quietly. Lowell is quiet for a long moment, and when he speaks again his voice is soft. "He was... he acted different, yes. A lot of questions about you, about us. He's been able to see through the mask since he was twelve, he's known what he and I both are for years. I thought he was okay with it! And he's adjusted to you being back well enough, you've seen his reactions as much as I have. He didn't even have a problem with you and Diana... spending time together, and I really thought he would balk at that." He shakes his head. "So I leave town and everything just falls apart?" James asks, his voice quiet and stern, pressing the issue. "That doesn't make sense to me, Lowell. Did he have a clarity breakdown? Did he think I was taken again?" The fetch shakes his head, faster this time. "Taken? No. But a breakdown...? I... I don't know. He... he asked me a lot of questions, upset and almost wild, like what would happen if They asked him to give up Diana, or if They wanted Ella. Asked whether he would be able to tell Them no, or if They could control him like a puppet." Lowell shakes his head. "I didn't know what to tell him! I'm not sure there is an answer, except that if They wanted Di or El, there wouldn't be much any of us could do about it." James looks sharply up at him. "You told him that?" "Was I supposed to lie?" The fetch explodes in a sudden burst of anger that rolls quickly through the somber room. "I did what I could, James! But I don't have many pretty answers to give, and you know that!" The two men are quiet for a long time. Finally, softly, James says, "You know we have to find him. I don't care that they ruled it an accident, it was murder, Lowell. If he's going around mercy-killing people to keep them from being taken, we have to find him. We have to stop him." "You don't even know he's alive," the fetch mumbles softly. "They said it wasn't surprising that they couldn't find his body. Not after the crash and the fire. And you know what happens to our kind when we go." "I know," James says grimly. "But if there's any part of Lucas still in him, he wouldn't have killed himself. And we're going to find him." "You can find him," Lowell whispers softly. "You don't need my help, James, and you'll have an easier time without me shadowing you. We already know the world will accept you as James Arlet. Honestly, I was thinking about bowing out once Diana got used to the situation, but I couldn't bring myself to leave Ella and Luc. Now that they're gone, I don't... really see any point in continuing. I never asked to be James, and I don't want to be Lowell." There's a movement in the vision, so fast that your mind's eye can barely follow. James starts forward, but he's too late. There is a flash of metal, a muffled popping sound, and a bright burst of blood in the air... ...and then there is only a pile of crumpled paper and knotted ties on the couch where the fetch once sat. You can hear James' hoarse scream as the vision fades. Category:NPC Category:Dallas Category:Autumn